


A Bite By Any Other Name

by GraydleRabbit



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Alternate Universe, College, Gen, Teasing, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27847674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GraydleRabbit/pseuds/GraydleRabbit
Summary: In the end, Takashi knew he wasn't dangerous, but he sure was annoying.
Relationships: IV | Thomas Arclight & Todoroki Takashi
Kudos: 3





	A Bite By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

> Short, simple, fluff-ish Story

Perched on a lamppost, the winged beast watched the night with a careful gaze. His sight was as sharp as those of a hawk, shimmering with a bloodshot glow. His equally-dark wings ruffled, and then they folded tightly against his backside. He watched with a lazy demeanor as a playful itch spread through every facet of his bones.

Small specks meander across the ground. Although, he was uninterested in the nightly squanders of these little specks, who were just as uninterested in his dominating yet harmless presence. His wings occasionally flexed, causing a small scene with the ones who were unfamiliar with the campus local. They scattered about, alarming their peers before being waved off. He chuckled. After a few more encounters, they will learn to ignore the creature resting upon the rickety and rusted light source; after all, they had dorms to occupy and assignments to complete.

Suddenly he caught something of interest. He followed it for a couple of seconds, and then a smug, little smile formed on his face.

Ah, finally.

_Some prey._

His large wings slowly spread outward until each spanned twice the length of his form. His body hunched like a rearing feline; the retinas of his eyes shrank to a pinpoint as they focus on a singular target, and his breathing leveled out so that he could maintain his balance. The wind continued to batter against the leather attached to his backside. But no matter. It will be of great use to him.

He waited a couple of seconds to track the movement of his prey. The even strides, although rapid and in a hurry as usual, was of note to the predator. He calculated each step of the human, one by one, inch by inch, since every second mattered when it came to his perfect flight.

His wings flapped once to taste the pressure of the air, the wind, the ascent and descent as he will angle for a head-on strike. With his wings as sprawled as they could possibly be, with the gently breeze of the tailwind magnifying, rocking him back and forth while his talons dug into the cold metal below, inflicting more damage onto its used surface, he was prepared for takeoff.

A single push forward, and he dove off the edge of the lamppost, resulting in a deafening crunch as ancient and historic metal bent to support his weight. He plummeted a short distance before the air caught him. Wings perfectly horizontal to his body—although constantly adjusting up and down to maintain equilibrium—he was able to slice through the air like butter with silence as a butterfly’s flutter. He descended rapidly with his prey on the target; growing nearer and nearer, his talons extended outward, eager to snatch his prey off the ground as though the human was nothing more than a rabbit in the face of a raptor.

Thirty… twenty… ten…

His body arched to slow his movement, resulting in a disarray of rapid beats and flaps that contrasted with his previous stealth. It didn’t matter anyway. With how close he was, there was no way he would miss, and no way his prey could escape.

But with the uptick in noise, it didn't take long for his target to freeze, and to crane his neck back and forth to scout the sudden sounds filling the quiet night. And the instant he turned around—

A high-pitched shriek!

Leathery pads latched onto him. Claws curled around his torso and biceps. A short yelp erupted from his mouth as he was knocked forward by the assault, before promptly being drowned out by the loud and frantic beating of giant, leathery wings. Perfectly latched onto his arms and body, and with his momentum as strong as ever, he ascended directly into the air, although with much less grace than he previously had.

It took all his strength to yank the small, berating human into the sky with him. Yet he grown accustomed to this. The additional weight, the kicking and flailing, it was all very typical. Predictably, even.

His wings managed to lift both of them up and up with beat after beat. Past the other students, past the tall trees, past the high walls of the Institution of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and he made it a short distance over it before perching on the roof of the building.

Hovering a foot above the cement ground, his claws unhooked to free the human, who proceeded to drop with an audible plop and a noise of discontent. Expending all his resources in his attempts at play, he also collided onto the floor with a disgruntled thud. His wings stopped flapping immediately as they spread beside his body like a discarded rag, thoroughly exhausted from the short exercise.

The snatched human angrily exclaimed as he suddenly found himself far from his destination, yelling about how he almost dropped his project and how this vile creature should stop doing this to him.

The winged beast didn't care all that much. This happened all the time. He threw a cheeky smile, and then smoothly demanded what he wanted out of the smaller man. His poignant teeth glimmered under the moonlight, and although there was clear annoyance radiating from the blue-haired man, the puppy-dog eyes made it impossible to resist to request.

He kept looking, and looking, and his wings—which were deflated and smeared on the ground—gradually folded back into his body. He waited patiently to get what he wanted.

The human sighed. Defeated, he pulled his backpack off of him. Slamming it on the ground, he unzipped it with a noisy ‘ _zrrpp_ ’ before rummaging through its contents for a couple of seconds. He seemed impatient as he yanked up papers, a folder, and a pencil pouch from the bag in search of the one object he knew would satisfy this mischievous creature.

Ruby irises examined the disarray of math homework and scientific essays on the ground, intrigued but only slightly. He never learned how to read. At least not in this language.

With a harsh yank, the man pulled the grand prize out of the bottom of his backpack. 

The monster snatched the crimson object right out of his light grasp. With a wide grin sneaking across his face, his wings reopened, casting a shadow on his former prey. Before the young man could protest, a single flap caused a gust of wind to overtake the rooftop. Papers took flight as he ascended with each additional beat. The human frantically caught each one that flew upward before it could drift off the side of the rooftop, but before he could retrieve each of his scattered documents, the creature’s talons reached out and grabbed a handful of them, crumpling the delicate things in its tight grip. The man exclaimed, but it was too late.

With the object and papers in tow, he leaped off the side of the building, wings pattering away as he traveled towards the iconic tower halfway across campus.

The human loudly demanded the creature return the documents, yelling that those papers are due tomorrow and he better hand them back or else he’ll tell the Professor, but this only prompted the beast to fly faster, as well as responding with a barely audible chortle. Soon he was too far to hear the desperate pleas of the poor human.

He watched as the creature landed more gracefully on the edge of the tower's steps. His wings compressed into his form. If the man squinted, he could see the creature gazing at him, presumably with a taunting smirk, and then he squeezed his through a window nearby as expected. The paws further crushed and smeared his homework into the dusty floor. He frowned, aware that if he wanted the remains of his poor assignments back, he'll have to pay his so-called companion a visit sometime tonight.

And he better bring more gifts to satisfy that gluttonous monster.

* * *

So he resided in the old Heartland tower. Not necessarily a dingy, cobweb-infested tower, brimmed with decaying moss and bloated with termite-infested wood and broken cobblestone. It was as it was. Ancient yet modest, harboring secrets of centuries ago, exterior and interior providing a glimpse into the architecture of the far past, one of the last remaining landmarks of Heartland’s bloody history. The center, the heart, of Heartland University.

That said, it was more paperweight than something that could be of better use. Its primary purpose was for touring groups as a topic of discussion. Or a fancy site for graduation photography. It was a miniature museum, harboring some old artifacts of the campus’ past. But it was not a building that hosted sophisticated classes. The only resident of the building was an old anthropology and quantum physics professor, but he used it as a place to grade and contemplate in peace rather than for study.

No one would expect that winged creature considered it his home away from home.

He approached the building with caution. Typically, the entrance was locked to deter mischievous fraternities and sonorities in the midst of their hazing process. But being president of the school’s student council, his identification card allowed him access to practically any building within the vicinity of the campus. Provided he doesn’t abuse his powers, he could use it as freely as he so desired. A light ‘ _ding!_ ’ sounded out as he swiped downward, a green light emitted from the scanner, and the door unlocked with a ‘ _click!_ ’. The man snuck inside before carefully shutting the door behind him.

He crept towards the back of the building where the spiraling staircase laid, where it was generally undisturbed save for the occasional maintenance man. The wood was as old as the professor who frequent the building, yet he noted a distinct shine across the surface. Upon glancing at a paper sign dangling lazily from the railing, he sighed exasperatedly.

‘ _FRESH PAINT! DO NOT TOUCH_ ’

Biting his lips, he went for plan two. Creeping further into the building, careful to keep his steps light in case of another being roaming the silent corridors, he approached the main office of Heartland Tower. The main room was pristine. Filled with artifacts of Heartland’s past, each decorated with a beautiful plaque. Had this been his first time entering this room, he would’ve stopped to absorb the contents of each sign.

But no, among this being his tenth time entering this specific room, he had other business to attend to.

He meandered past the artifacts and towards the back of the room where a door laid. The door was open by an inch, and upon poking his head around the crack, he was relieved to find the absence of a warm body sitting upon the rolling chair behind the desk.

He noted the dozens of discarded papers on the floor. The tower of aluminum cans whose content formerly ranged from energy drinks to soda to flavored water, most of the fruity variety. He noted the skulls and bones hanging on the walls, the floors, on desks, as well as other strange objects of cultural significance. Bookshelves filled to the top, as well as many more stacked on top of each other on the floor. Looking around, he noticed the unfinished, wooden remains of another bookshelf, presumably in the process of being built for those books but abandoned shortly afterward due to unknown reasons. He made note to come back in the morning to help the professor finish its construction.

He crept over to the leftmost bookshelf. Carefully, he pulled out each book, journal, magazine, and textbook from the bottom row, carefully stacking it so that he could reorganize them in the exact order later. With the last book’s disappearance, he pulled out the wooden plank that laid behind them, revealing a hole large enough to fit a human body. He pulled out his phone and turned out its flashlight setting before crawling inside.

He disliked using this entrance, but it was the only way to the top of the tower if the main passage was blocked. Instead of being made of wood with plenty of space to move about, the staircase was constructed from cobblestone, and it was as tight as a hallway during passing periods. The whole area was dank and murky, and the stairs were a bit slippery from the recent rain, but as long as he moved steadily, he wasn’t at risk of falling. Slowly he made his way up the spiral, hand lightly grasping the wall to prevent himself from tumbling down with the other gripping his device, illuminating the path ahead.

He climbed for several minutes before reaching the very top of the tower, and he knew because it smelt… distinct. No longer the musty stench of stagnant water but instead a type of sweet smell he'd expect from the more natural section of the supermarket.

Up and up, and he was met with a wooden panel. His free hand pushed against it, and without a hassle, it gave in to his efforts, revealing a plethora of light and fresh air and much-needed space.

The first thing he noticed was the bodies strewn across the floor. Drained of their nutrients, left as nothing more than a hollow shell, or skins without meat, ripped and torn and dried. Most were laden with mold with tiny flies buzzing to-and-fro to drain the excess waste. He shook his head in disgust.

He crawled out of the hole. After briefly dusting himself off and shoving his phone back into his pockets, he navigated around the room. With nothing but the light from the moon—and from the beacons wrapping around the entire perimeter of the tower from the freshly-scrubbed glass windows—it was difficult to navigate without stepping on the remains all over the floor. He avoided as much of it as he could, but he could only be stealthy for so long before he stepped on something wet and hard.

He froze. Upon glancing down, he realized it was the gift he presented to the creature less than an hour ago. Except now, it was nothing more than a core. The red skin was peeled away and swallowed, the fleshy interior devoured, the juices sucked until nothing more than the thin skeleton remained. And after it was all done, he had the audacity to toss it onto the floor as though someone else would pick up after him. He walked past it and headed to the center, where he knew the guy often perched.

Glancing ahead, he made out the outline of a bulbous blob hanging from the ceiling. It was suspended by nothing more than a paw clamped tightly onto the low-hanging frame. As he neared it, the clouds shrouding the moon pulled away, resulting in a sudden burst of moonlight to illuminate the area by a minute fraction, but it was enough for him to get a clear view of the creature.

Engulfed by leathery wings, the creature hung from the ceiling like the cocoon of a pupating butterfly. He swayed back and forth ever so slightly, almost as though he was singing a lullaby in a series of creaks on the old frame he hung on, so casual that the man almost felt bad for disturbing his peace. But something must be done.

He straightened up his back, put on a mean face, and stomped right over to the beast.

"IV," he called with his voice drenched with confidence. The slightest hint of anxiety or weakness would be easily taken advantage of, after all. The massive mass of leather and spite suddenly stopped swinging, as though it was piquing to his noise. "Give me back my homework."

A noise erupted from him. And then with a creak and ruffle, the giant wings unveiled itself, revealing an upside-down, almost-human face and body if not for the leathery claws pulled into his chest, nor the slight dark red fur protruding his under his clothes. The pair of leathers dropped by his side, dragging against the floor like a blanket. His head tilted. And locked between the prickling talons were a handful of crumpled papers, each so crushed and imperfect that the man might as well redo the assignments on something more pristine. The creature bore a wide smirk. "Oh?" He started, like he was genuinely confused at the demand.

The human rolled his eyes. "The papers, IV."

"What papers?" He purred as he rocked back and forth, his eyes squinting with his forked tongue peeping out. It… wasn't seductive, if that was what he was going for. He would’ve told it to his face had the man not maintain his composure. And the winged beast realized his stubbornness to play within a few seconds. He dropped the playful act. His hands on the crumpled papers tighten before he pulled it deeper towards his chest, and the human would've exclaimed for him to stop ruining his essays. "Mmm… Come n' take it, Taka~"

His eyes fell on the reddish wings hanging limply by his side. He knew this trick well. Within a foot’s grasp, the wings would spring to life. They would flex like the mane of a cobra, and then, before he could step away, they would engulf him, dragging him close to the warm, fuzzy body of the creature. If that were to happen—and it often did—he could be stuck in the creature’s rumbling embrace for a quarter of an hour at least.

So, he hesitated.

A wide grin formed. His feeder fangs reared, but there was nothing to fear from the poignant mandibles. Although they could pierce flesh so easily, they were accustomed to bitter skin and nectar, sour and sweet juices, the soft interior of a ripened globular mass rather than the pungent flavor of iron. Any unlucky souls that earned that vampire's affection were aware of this well-kept secret. Nonetheless, the creature was surely a nuisance—just not in the way you'd expect.

"I ain't gonna do anything~"

And his sly grin said otherwise.

**Author's Note:**

> Fruit bats eat fruits.
> 
> (\\_/)  
> — (o.o)  
>  (___)0


End file.
